Tragic Jokes
by MeowMeow33
Summary: Life is one big joke. Death is the punchline. The life of The Joker (from Dark Knight). His cruel past and why he has..wants to smile. (Don't forget to review) WHY SO SERIOUS ?
1. Blood and Tears

"Listen, listen to me" she begged. She held her sons face in her hands, crying. "Daddy will be home soon" His eyes widened and he started to shake. "Please, David, go hide" she whispered. Tears filled up in his eyes. His father scared him to death. He had to hide quickly. David ran into the closet and watched in fear through little cracks in the doors. Suddenly the front door burst open and flew off its hinges. He covered his mouth, trying not to scream. "Look at me!" his father yelled. His mother shook in fear and tried to protect herself; grabbing a large cutting knife. She balled up in the corner and screamed. His dad grabbed her arm and left bruises as he picked her up forcefully. He gripped the back of her head with one hand and put a blade to the corner of her mouth with the other. He almost doubled her size and was at least 2 feet taller than she. He laughed a little and a foul smell stunk from his breath. He laughed even harder and pressed up against her, her arms unable to move. David started to cry, his tears cold and salty. "Why so serious?" he whispered. He tore the corner of her mouth open and made his way up to the middle of her both her cheeks. David screamed and backed up, hitting his head on the shelf.

His mother screamed and covered her mouth. She fell to the floor and cried, tears mixing with blood. "David" he whispered, gripping the knife. "Where are you David?" he said in a sing songy voice. David held his breathe and tried to gather every ounce of courage he had. His father quickly opened the door. David stood up and punched him in the gut and took off running. He could hear his laughter from inside as he ran. David could barely see, tears blinding him. The rain made it even worse. He ran as far and as fast as he could. Lungs burning he stopped and hid behind a dumpster blocks and blocks away. To terrified to cry all he did was shake and shiver, the rain seeping through his clothes. He gave a faint smile and realized he escaped from his father. There was nothing he could do for his mother. She died for nothing. The held back tears burned his throat. He was on his own. This was the first, out of many, tragic memories that made him known today as The Joker.

I present to you, the tragic story of the Joker. His past, his memories, his losses, and his mind; everything behind that white makeup.


	2. Protecting

Years past and that memory still haunted him. He was 16 at this point and everyday was a struggle. He was fired from every job and had to resort to stealing just to make ends meat. Every night, he'd wake up in a cold sweat and tears with that bloody image of his mother burning in his skull. He could only pay very little rent and the 3 bedroom apartment was horrid. Water would leak from the roof, rats would make an attempt at chewing at his bed, and the smell of vomit would come from the next door room each morning.

Every night at the same time, he'd go to the local bar. He could only afford one beer so sometimes he'd save it and keep a stash of it as his apartment. One night things were the same as usual. An old man, Albert would get into an argument with a heavy drinker, Tom, about some stupid shit. David sat at the same stool and watch the news. Everything was "normal" until a beautiful girl came in. She didn't look pierced or tattooed like the usual women who came in. She looked innocent and pure; untouched. And he attended to keep it that way. She came in alone but he was sure she had some type of pepper spray in her purse. She looked scared and her cheeks were red. With long, dark brown hair and blue eyes, she sat next to him. She kept her gaze to the list of drinks on the menu. Under her blue eyes were heavy bags from lack of sleep, maybe. He suddenly felt this urge to protect her at any cost. She ordered a pink lemonade martini. _Of course she would _he thought with a chuckle. She glanced at him then refocused her attention on her expensive phone. He tried not to look at her but his nerves would not get the best of him. He cleared his throat and turned to her. "Hi" he said with a raspy voice. She turned to him with the sweetest smile. He quickly glanced at her barely exposed cleavage. She wore a tight navy blue shirt with a skirt over skinny jeans and converse.

"Hey" she said sweetly. "I'm David" he said with a little more confidence. He never was good at talking to girls. He hadn't talked to one in years. She could tell he was nervous and smiled. "I don't bite" she said with a wink "I'm Claire." He nodded and for the first time in a very long time, he smiled. A genuine, lip closed smile. She blushed at how handsome he was. "So, what are you doing here alone?" he asked with concern in his voice. "Oh, I had a tough day. I was sick of sitting at home and watching Titanic, so I came here" the bags under her eyes didn't stop her eyes from lighting up. He nodded and gulped down his beer while she sipped her martini. "How about you?" she asked. "I come here every night. I have nothing else to do" he shrugged and rolled his eyes. "I see" she said and texted something. A few thugs came into the bar, yelling and laughing, clearly wasted. His body tensed and his protective mode kicked in. "Um, we should probably leave" he whispered. She looked confused then looked at the gang. She rolled her eyes and sipped her drink again. "I think I can handle myself, and if I can't, you're here" Not only did he want to protect her, he _needed _to.

One of them burped loudly and walked towards them. David glared dangerously at him. He'd been in a lot of bar fights and was prepared to fight. "Well hello beautiful" the guy whispered, slobber dribbling from his chin. She cringed as he smelled her hair. "Hey back off" David said strongly turning towards him. The drunkard ignored him and touched the back of her neck. "You are beautiful" he whispered again, and this time held a pocket knife to the front of her neck.

He saw his mother on the floor, bleeding uncontrollably and crying. The knife gripped in his hand.

David jumped up and attacked the man; hitting him square in the jaw, almost knocking him unconscious. They all went after him at the same time. David was too fast for them and kept dodging their punches. Instead he forcefully punched them in the gut and strangling them.

He grabbed her hand and they ran out and down the street. It started raining again and they stopped in a busier, safer part of town. They breathed heavily and calmed down. She looked at him with a look of gratefulness. "Thank you, so much" she said her voice cracking. "You're welcome" he said breathlessly. His knuckles were bleeding from punching a window on accident but he didn't care. "You saved my life. Why?" she asked. He paused and smelled the blood on his fingers that triggered a new memory. "I couldn't save someone in the past, and the moment you walked in, I _had _to protect you" he was being genuinely honest. She smiled and slipped her phone number in his hand. "I need to go" she whispered and dashed off into the rain.


	3. New Beginning

He sat at the lunch table, eating a small meal the school gave him for free. The school provided free meals for orphans paid by the orphanage they stayed at. Everyone figured his dad was dead, since he was nowhere to be seen after that night. He sat alone as usual but he didn't mind. He liked the space and liked hearing other people's conversations. His 12 year old body was fragile and skinny, so people would verbally bully him about his size. He ate his sandwich while trying to block out the hurtful words. "I heard his mom went crazy and killed his dad, then killed herself" a person would whisper; "I heard a pack of wolves ate them" another would say. None of those were true of course. Only he knew the truth. One day, while walking "home" from school, a few bullies followed him. They threw rocks at his backpack and sometimes his head. "Hey loser!" Max yelled. David clenched his teeth and kept walking. He struggled to ignore them. Finally he couldn't take it. He turned around and snapped. "Leave me alone!" he yelled. He started shaking and realized what he'd done.

He sighed._ Never give up. Be brave. _He thought. He picked up a rock to defend himself. The boys laughed. "Nice try" Max laughed. They cornered him and he stood his ground. Again they laughed. "You can't win idiot" Max said and they all picked up big rocks. "You're parents never loved you" one of them said. "You're a nothing; a nobody" they taunted him. Tears spilled over and he cracked. He threw the rock strongly and hit Max in the nose; breaking it. His nose started bleeding. David felt stronger and fearless. He picked up another rock. The group followed after Max. His blood smelled strongly.

David jolted awake, covered in sweat. His knuckles scabbed over, but still smelled blood. "What have I become?" he whispered in the dark. He felt numb and exhausted. Gentle sunlight came through a few rips in the curtain. It reminded him of Claire and how lovely she was. He took out the wet, crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. He slowly built up courage and called her on the phone by the bar. "Hello?" she answered, she sounded happy and lighthearted. "Hi, Claire this is David. From the bar the other night?" he sounded nervous. "David hi!" she beamed. He smiled and tension left him. "I was just wondering if you wanted to meet somewhere. Maybe the coffee shop on Avenue X at Cicero?" he asked. There was a small pause before she gently said. "Of course I would. I left a nice pair of clothes back at your apartment."

"That's great, does 2:00 sound okay? I can't- wait. What did you say?" when he finished his sentence she hung up. _What the hell? How does she know where I live? _He thought. He shook his head and smiled. She was cute, he had to admit. He went back upstairs and sure enough, found a nice pair of clothes. A simple grey short sleeved T-shirt, dark jeans and new shoes. And they fit perfectly. He couldn't wrap his head around it. Two o'clock came and they met. She ordered vanilla chai tea for both of them. As soon as they sat down he spoke. "How on _earth _do you know where I live? We only met last night!" his enthusiastic curiosity made her laugh. She had a heart melting laugh. "My father works for the CIA and I know how to hack into his computer" she said proudly. His jaw dropped. She laughed and sipped on her tea. He just wrapped his hands around the warmth around the cup. "Why? Why do this for me?" he asked. "You saved my life, I owe you so much" she said boldly. He nodded and stared at the cute little things about her. The freckles on her cheeks, the small nose diamond piercing, and her freshly trimmed hair. The rain fell steadily and produced a little fog. "So, tell me about yourself" she said curiously. She loved his shaggy stringy hair and chocolate brown eyes. His smile was the cutest and she was determined to make him smile with teeth showing. He paused suddenly tense. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea" he said and bit his lip. Her smile faded to a frown. "Why?" she asked, sounding a little offended. He didn't want to hurt her feelings. "Can we talk somewhere a little more private?" he asked. She nodded and took his hand. As they ran through the rain, he held a book over her head as he took on the cold. He was used to this familiar cold.

They ran to a tiny shack in the forest. She explained how her older brother built it for her when she was little. He smiled when they walked in. There was a small bed on the top of a huge shelf like place. And the bottom was couches and a portable fridge. Decoration lights lit the grey room. They sat on the bed up top and turned on a lamp next to her bed. "Well?" she pried. He sighed. "I've had an extremely hard life. I can't trust people. Let's just say you're lucky I even called you" he hung his head a little while she listened. Tears swelled in his eyes. The last thing he wanted to do was cry in front of her. "Well, my dad was a drinker and a fiend. He used to beat my mom in front of me. One night when I was 8, my dad injured my mom and she bled to death. I ran away and haven't looked back since" the tears were dangerously close now and he wiped them away before they could escape. Claire on the other hand was crying. She gave him a strong hug. He slowly put his arms around her. "I'm so sorry" she whispered, sobbing. She rubbed his back and he could smell her perfume on her neck. Vanilla. "It's okay. I'm okay" he said. She pulled back and held his hand. "Tell me about you" he said, trying to avoid his past. "I don't have much to say. I'm a rich city girl. My family hasn't had many hardships at all" she shrugged. A small hint of sadness was in her eyes; David saw it. He squeezed her hand. "You can tell me" he said. She looked surprised then sighed. "My little sister died a few years ago. She drowned in a pond. It was my entire fault" her voice broke at the end. She fell into his arms, crying hard. "I was right there! I could have saved her!" she screamed into his shoulder. He rubbed the back of her neck and held her tightly. "It was out of your control" he whispered. She sobbed and took his words in. "You're my best friend, David" she said. She pulled away again and smiled. They both smiled and talked in the dark for a long time. They were best friends.


	4. Bitter Taste

Days, months and years went by. It was Claire's 20th birthday and David was ready to propose. Every night for three years, Claire would take him out around the city, give him new clothes for a year and give him money to live on. At least afford rent for a decent apartment. She had done so much for him the least he could do is propose. His hands were shaking as he held hers. "Why are your hands shaking?" she asked and turned to face him. They stopped at the coffee shop they had their first date at. His face flushed and breathing rapid, he gulped. He began to kneel and suddenly she hugged him. Her grasp was strong and felt like she could break him. "Yes!" she squealed. She kissed him as tears fell down her cheeks. She let go and he could barely speak. He fell to his knees and started to cry. "Oh my god" he whispered.

He could feel his heart pounding. He had never felt loved before; true, sweet, love. She kneeled beside him and held his face in her hands, smiling sympathetically. He looked up at her with shaggy boyish hair. "You love me" he whispered with strong emotion. "I do" she whispered back and kissed his forehead.

Everything was perfect, for a while. They didn't even have a wedding, her father didn't even care, and they just lived on with their lives; until the nightmares came back.

Some nights David would wake up screaming and pounding the bed, tears pouring down his face. Some nights he'd wake up yelling "dad no!" or "leave me alone!" familiar words he used when he was a kid. And Claire would rub his back and whisper kind words. He felt terrible. "Claire" he said one day, slowly entering the kitchen of his apartment. She moved in with him a few months after they married. She turned around happy. "Yeah?" she asked. She could see the sadness in his eyes. "I'm losing my mind. Those nightmares are so real" he whispered. She walked to him and smiled. He turned away and numbly stared at the floor. "David, you'll be okay. Everything's going to be fine and-

His sadness turned to anger; anger he held for years. He turned around and snapped. "Stop saying that! Stop it! You don't know the pain I feel and you never will!" he yelled. She mentally guarded herself. "How can you say that?! I lost someone I loved too!" she yelled back. He clenched his teeth and tears spilled. He was more emotional nowadays and his mind was breaking. "You didn't lose apart of yourself. I loved my mother! She would protect me and take beatings to save my life! Did you _ever_ have to face that?! No! Because you're a snotty little rich girl!" his voice turned from soft anger to a tiger yelling.

She grabbed a kitchen knife and guarded herself. She was terrified of him. Apart of his father was coming out, and she knew it. "No" he whispered, suddenly calm. Slowly walking towards her he put up his hand as if to stop her. She grit her teeth and backed away. "Leave" she said. "Claire, sweetheart" he whispered. "_Leave" _she almost growled.

He stormed out of the apartment, wondering the dark alleys of the city. He silently stole beer from a homeless man and drank as much as he could that night. "Hey" a deep voice said from the dark. A tall man with a bald head came out from the shadows. He held a huge wade of cash in his hand. David recognized him. He was an old gambling friend. "Hey how's it goin my man?" David said with slurred words. His friend smiled with a gold tooth. "Wanna have some fun?" another voice echoed through the alleys. A sexy, tall woman also emerged from the shadows. Her short skin tight dress flattered her curves. He smiled and hiccupped. "Hell yeah, let's go" he laughed. They all laughed and drunkenly went to a huge casino.

The night seemed to go by in a blur. Sexy girls, money, beer, and bright lights filled his mind before he passed out in the gutter. He had no idea what hell he brought on Claire.


	5. Why so serious ?

"Hello? Claire?"

"David! David"

"Claire! Where are you? I've been looking-

"I'm in the building right across the café where we met"

Click. The phone goes silent and David nodded. He drove as fast as he could. But he's too late. He busted through the door, and saw Claire tied and her mouth covered in duct tape. "Let her go!" David yelled. "Give us the money. Or don't you remember?" the woman rolled her eyes. It was the same people he partied with. He clenched his teeth. "I don't have the money just please don't hurt her" he pleaded. The people laugh and throw Claire at him. "This was a joke idiot! All we wanted to do was harm your little girlie friend." The man with the deep voice said.

This was all a cruel, sick joke. Claire cried and screamed, her tears making a small pool on the ground. They all laughed and left. He was too numb to move, too upset to plot revenge and too scared to speak. He just gently removed the duct tape and untied her. His eyes widened and he choked on bile. Her face was covered in tiny scars and one huge scar went across her cheek, across her nose that ended at the corner of her eyes. "Oh Claire" he whispered. Tears burned the new scars.

He knew right away they couldn't afford hospital help, for he had blown all their money on gambling. "I'll make it go away" he whispered. He grabbed a knife and braced himself. _Why so serious? _

He gave him iconic, torn up scars. Scars that reminded him every day of the pain he endured. That was his breaking point. He literally left her there to cry and scream at the burning scars.

He saw the funny side of things. Murdering became his only joy.

Life is one big joke and death is the punch line.

_Let's put a smile on that face. Hm?_

_THE END_


End file.
